Thursday, 10 December 2015

I N S P I R E D B Y B A L M A I N | Tribute Review

A great surprise this week with a brand new Tribute release! I feel like it's been ages since we've had a Tribute and I love getting them! This is the Inspired By Balmain Tribute - we've had a Balmain before, but it was pretty good so I was definitely excited to see what was in this release^

We got two floors packed with pieces with a very kind of rock-glamour vibe to them. There's also a couple of male outfits available, not with too huge a range, but I think there are pretty classic pieces included so it's worth it.

I'm gonna kick right off with the accessories because I just can't get over the Kendall Thigh Highs! These are the perfect boots for me right now! I've been wearing thigh high/over the knee boots rather a lot on Stardoll and in my Styled Outfits right now so I love that I can add another pair to my collection =D For me these are the winning shoes, but I also think the detailing is amazing on the Knitted Heels and the Red Circle Laced Heels are definitely a surprise like for me. I quite like both the bags, I'm attracted a little more to the Green Suede Handbag, but so far I haven't bought either. It's a little sparse on the jewellery front, but I did purchase the Emeraldstone Earrings because my Wear Dem Jewels Challenge has left me super inspired for them^

Now clothing! There's definitely a heavy dress element to the store, and lots of 'mini' going on in terms of length. And they're all super unique to each other and detailed and designed well for our dolls, I'm impressed by them - even if I haven't bought any of them yet! My two favourites are definitely the Flowers And Pearls Dress pretty much because it's white/silvery and there's just about no better colour, and the Beaded Dress with its sort of aztec-styled print, which is pretty different for me, but something just makes it super attractive! The Red Jacquard Weave Dress also caught my eye, and I think I'd probably purchase it if there was ever a sale on in the store. For bottomhalves, there's a few skirts (erm hello Emerald Laced High Waist Skirt!) and some tights and jeans with some pretty funky patterns. Yep, the blues aren't really for me, but I admire anyone who can pull them off =) And the collection really excels in tops to pair with them though, and I'd include the Emerald Body in there too - it has a great orange and emerald combination (who ever knew that that would look great, eh?!) and I've seen it in some amazing outfits so far. There's also the See Through Knit which joins the body in the sheer category, I still bought it, but I'm definitely going to work on some different creative ways to style it. And a more classic buy in the form of the Beaded Silk Blouse, an immediate purchase for me, and you'll see why based on some of the features below because it just looks great all the time^ And rounding out the clothing are a couple of jackets and coats. I didn't really think I'd go for any of these pieces, but the Satin vs Suede Coat very surprisingly caught my eye in a positive light and I actually really like how it looks on my doll. I haven't bought it yet, but I think I can see myself buying it as a little Christmas treat =P

Prices for this collection range from 15 to 40SD's with really only a select few above 30SD's, so it's not really too pricey per piece for this Tribute. But it's a Tribute, we all know it comes with a pricetag, so no complaints. There's a few SC items and as per recent tradition also SS and Royalty only pieces.

And now features! There's so many of them that I'll put my looks in a post at the weekend - so let's get on with them in no particular order:

This is Cover.S looking awfully stylish in the The X Knit Crop. It suits these leather trousers perfectly along with this flowing hairstyle. Love the contrasting accessories too^

Next we have *starrr*, styling the bright Knitted Leggings. It's a perfect standout look for the piece by choosing a great-shaped white blazer and fitting heels and accessories. The touch I do love are the nails, the colour probably shouldn't work but I think it looks amazing!

Thirdly aby400 who has styled the Kendall Balmain Blazer in a masculine styled look. I think it's an absolute perfect match for these trousers and the glittered boots fit in nicely too =)

Next is Elite-girl in a military-esque outfit with the Beaded Silk Blouse. I think this is a really versatile piece - this isn't how I was thinking of wearing this, so it's expanded my view on it because it suits these shorts very well!

Here is Marta-43 in a super cute retro look, it's just adorable and a great styling for these Kendall Thigh Highs. It's a very different look for this tribute but it works very well and I love it all the same.

Another styling of both the Beaded Silk Blouse and the Kendall Thigh Highs, this time from missiwantitall. And again it's totally different to the two looks already with these pieces. I think these shorts suit both items well and are a great match - one I think I would wear sometime next summer^

One from this upcoming stylista, Eyes.. wearing the Emerald Laced High Waist Skirt. Those colours match the feathers perfectly along with the purple pendant, that's one perfect pairing if I've ever seen one =D

This penultimate look is from Krab_ololo and I love the bright colours for this winter, all based around the Emerald Body. It's great with those mustard trousers and I'm wishing I had them! I love the slightly retro feel this has too with those shoes, bag and jewellery.

And finally nikkiiGOESrawr, also styling the Emerald Laced High Waist Skirt but in a light and bright look. The colour matches the camel of the coat well, and I think the addition of the flat Valentino-inspired shoes is great (I love wearing these)^